Trim tab opinions

[capt2kids]

Hello all:
I wrote here a while ago about my purchase of a 1972 SF. It was called the "Tuna Magnet", which I had trailered up from Florida.
That is a story within itself.
The boat has the old Cat turbos in it. The day I put it in the water to take it to Atlantic City, I had plans to see if it planed off without trim tabs.
Unfortunately, I was at the helm, enjoying the breeze when I suddenly took sick. My brother took over and finished the 1 1/2 hour trip thru the intercoastal. So I didnt get to see if it trimmed off.
I havent had it out since the first week in Sept. since after going home that day, I realized I had a heart attack. They air lifted me from NJ to Philadelphia.
I had some blockages and they fixed me up and I feel great again.
But I havent had a chance to enjoy the boat except clean up the boat inside, haha. It had so much junk stored under everything. I must have taken 200 pounds of wet, water soaked ropes, hoses and you name it.
For the 15 minutes I got to drive it, it was a joy compared to my 40 foot pacemaker. I had it at 2200 and doing 24 knots. Much faster than the pacemaker.
Sorry for such a long story to ask about trim tabs. But I was hoping for some input about it. I know I couldn't be without them on the pacemaker, especially in a head sea at low speeds.
Thanks, and enjoy your week.
bob from south jersey

[In Memory Walter K]

Bob- Glad you're better and thinking about boats again. You're going to get a lot of discussion on the subject. Those of us who don't have trim tabs feel our 31 Bertrams don't need them. Those that have them like them. Let the discussions begin! Welcome back! Walter

[Brewster Minton]

I have them but only very rarly use them. Only when I have too many people onboard who dont sit in the right places or keep moving around so I have to use them. They have cost me many huge fish that got snapped off because of them. They may have gotten snapped off without them I dont know. The only other time I use them is trolling on super calm days, I put them all the way down to dig the bow in and make more foam to hide my lures in so the fish are less shy.

[Carl]

Ran my 440 gasser for 14 years without them, never really needed them.

That last two in an effort to get the most out of each gallon of fuel I installed a pair. Also a larger tank put more weight aft and created a problem when cruising slow.

Anyway this is what I found-

-At low cruise speeds (20knots and under) I pick up a knot or two with the same fuel burn.

-I was able to get on and stay on plane at lower RPMs, good for lousy weather days or just killing time. (those mandatory rides with family and friends where you have no desination and just going for a boat ride)

-Able to Trim when the family movies around the boat.

-When above 20 knots or so, I pretty much just retract them as the boat runs just fine without them.


Glad your "ticker" is back on track and your feeling better.

Hope it helps.
Carl

[John F.]

I have them but only very rarly use them. Only when I have too many people onboard who dont sit in the right places or keep moving around so I have to use them. They have cost me many huge fish that got snapped off because of them. They may have gotten snapped off without them I dont know. The only other time I use them is trolling on super calm days, I put them all the way down to dig the bow in and make more foam to hide my lures in so the fish are less shy.

Brewster-

Interesting tip for calm days. Not that I'm real experienced at the offshore thing, but I've never heard that before. Going to have to give it a try next calm day.

John F.

Oh yeah-- I have a '69 FBC gasser w/o tabs and she runs fine. If you don't have them, I'd run the boat w/o them and see what you think. I've been a a B31 in really snotty weather offshore (Crowsnest) where we dug the bow down with the tabs and it helped the ride--and it went from really wet to really, really wet.

[Brewster Minton]

I have found that super calm is not good because the fish get too good a look at the lures. I learned the trick from an old timer. I run the lures in the foam and the fish still see them fine. In 3 to 5 foot I run the lures in the clear water and so the can see them but I think the tuna here are less shy when its a little snotty. I also turn more (all the time) on calm days to jig the lures more where on snotty days my Bert jumps all around and jigs the lures for me. The old timer said with the tabs down the boat pushes more water and looks like a whale chasing bait. I dont know but he was pretty drunk. Sorry to highjack thread.

[Dug]

The Volvo tabs are great, and don't stick off the transom.

FYI, a good option.

[bob lico]

brewster wrote " I dont know but he was pretty drunk " now had do suppose that happened!!!!!!-----to----kill----ya

[Brewster Minton]

Bob, your not suggesting that I would get old fishermen drunk to steal their secrets. Im not that kind of person.

[bob lico]

brewster in my eyes your the best . nobody could ever dispute the fact that you may tend to extend "pease offerings" by getting friends sh-tfaced in no time at all and they may tell a secret or two but it was done in pure innocents!!!!

[ed c.]

I would not run without the tabs. Putting 300 lbs. of ice in the boat with 231 gal of diesel and large fisherman makes for low stern.
My Bennett tabs are 12 x 30. I installed them myself.
For more info go to "The Hull Truth ", there is rep. on the site that answers all questions. Good Luck

[JK]

I've had my boat since 2000, first with 454's then converted to diesel. Not once have I wished or felt like the boat needed tabs.

--JK

[mike ohlstein]

I've had my boat since 2000, first with 454's then converted to diesel. Not once have I wished or felt like the boat needed tabs.

--JK

Same here.

[Rocky]

I was thinking of actually taking mine off, 12x24. Not necessary for my usage. (depends on what you are doing with it).
Rocky.

[bob lico]

50years on the water! why in GODS name would i puposely put the bow into the water!!!!!!! maybe it`s the past fun and enjoyment of riding to the hospital in back of the ambulance with the medics giving me testing for vidal sighs .lots of fun and games diving into that every 10th wave were the water runs up to the top of the tower.
the bertram is a deep vee with lifting strakes and a built 12 degree shaft angle without doing a damm thing the faster you go the more the bow will go into the water!!!!--understand !! the reason for tabs in the atlantic ocean is you engines have no balls what you do need is bow planes like a submarine to keep the bow from going under in head seas.however if your compelled to see davey jones i have a set for free!!!!

[Charlie J]

dont have them , dont need them 68 bahiamar

[Harv]

Both of my boats came with them.
I use them all the time, for the same exact reasons as
Brewster mentioned. Also helps slow me down for striped bass trolling.

dont have them , dont need them 68 bahiamar

Gee Charlie, I seem to remember a day when we were running side by side, in real snotty water.
You called me on the radio to say "OH SHIT".
I asked what happened, and you mentioned something about falling off the top of an 8 foot wave. I immediately lowered my bow, and plowed through every wave , like a tank, for the rest of the ride home. For those that don't know, mine is also a Bahia Mar, 1971.

My personal feeling about trim tabs.....

Better to have them and not need them,
then to need them and not have them.

[ed c.]

As my old Uncle W. Somerset Maugham would say; " The fact that a great many people believe something is no guarantee of its truth".

[capt2kids]

Wow, thanks for everybody weighing in. I guess if they were on the boat i would leave them on, but maybe I will use the boat more and decide. A lot of truth in what everyone says here. I just think its a personal preference of how you use them.
When I was looking for a B31, I noticed some had them and some didn't. I am glad I asked, and thanks everybody.
bob

[jspiezio]

The Volvo tabs are great, and don't stick off the transom.

FYI, a good option.

Dug, I've heard that these don't work well at low speeds. Any comments or anecdotes from someone with experience?

[Dug]

I couldn't put them on due to too much stuff on my transom already. Between the underwater lights, exhaust and swim platform, it was a no go.

I didn't want them for low speed use, so I really don't know...

Sorry!

D

[randall]

when mine actually worked i used them to lower the bow a bit when running from below. one day i did a GPS speed test and no surprise. faster with them all the way up. they add drag and you burn more gas and the engines work a little harder for every degree of down.

let me get this right.......you sold your pacemaker and then you had a heart attack....you cant make this stuff up. glad we can joke about it now....good luck with the boat and your health!!

[bob lico]

HARV after installing a pair of 370hp cummins in that behia mar you should be very reluntant to "plow into waves " mother nature is much stronger then you think . someday you will hit what seems like a brick wall and you and your crew will be throw foward causing physical damage.better to have them--------- means you missed the hold point.
coming in the jones inlet you may encounter huge rollars if the tabs are removed you ajust your speed to ride up the wave when it crest the stern should ride down the back side (like a surfer) with the bow up and stern down you look behind you and there is a wall of water with the bow up you come into the trough and the boat moves gently up the next wave most important to have large rudders and keep bow from ruddering in the next wave to do so will put your life in peril some day. in charlie case falling off a wave can be corrected by turning adjacent to the wave then back into the next wave thats how a pro offshore driver does it. -----trust me keep those damm tabs out of the water in the rough.

[Carl]

Oh what the hell...

Bob, true if your in big seas, running an inlet or running over 20 knots, tabs are a hinderence or just downright dangerous.

But...if running some chop with the family, or hanging back with some non-bertrams it's nice to be able to bring the nose down abit at those speeds. With the bow down a bit it runs a bit smoother, not as wet and I find I pick up a bit of speed, or I can cut back on the throttles a bit more.

Another plus is if you are running the lower station, Bahia, Express you can't see into the troughs when the bow is up so high "at low cruise speeds" I've hit more wood that way then I care to say. Much differnt running th e31 at the lower helm, sometimes you need to cut back to 16-17knots becauuse you just can't see that far ahead.

[bob lico]

i agree with you sim i should have stated tabs on a 31bertram , on a 33' searay with engines under cockpit,fuel in side tanks and passengers in lounge chairs around stern those tabs are a must as well as 99% of any other wine and cheese boat. sometimes i have to use them on center consoles . take a 32 contender with a pair of 350hp yamaha`s hanging off the stern . man thats alot of weight sitting back there when you get into those big rollars you need tabs and the engines tuck in.there is absolutly no way to compare a 31bert to those sedan cruiser clorox bottle boats .they have no front vision what so ever getting up on plan and with the tabs down anything more then a ripple goes right over the bow ,i hate driving those bastard boats. i have to be a phony with a smile instead of mike orstein / bruce and tell them the boat is really unsafe at any speed in the atlantic but mosy buy it and never leave the dock!!!! flower pots on the tables is a sure sign.

[mike ohlstein]

Call me any time Bob. I'll come by and tell them what I think........

[Bruce]

I'm also just a phone call away.
The voices in my head say at my age I don't have to be nice anymore.

Unless one is using the 31 as a howdy boat and taking out the local ladies all you can eat buffet divers club, tabs aren't need for cruising.

Fishing technique I'll leave to the experts.

But two or three of them heffers go port or starboard on ya, tabs come in handy to even out the load.


The Volvo Q tabs work at low speed fine.

The biggest issues I've seen with the Q tabs are installations. They are flat. On curved transoms you need a wedge plate behind them. Most forget and then the mechanism is bound up when they are installed and the screws tightened.

[capt2kids]

Hey Randall:
I just wanted to let you know that the pacemaker I sold was a 40 foot boat. not the electronic gizmo people have in their chest. haha. It sounded like you had that impression.
I didnt want you to think I sold the pacemaker to buy a B31, hahaha
Have a great evening, and thanks for all the opinions.
bob

[Carl]

i hate driving those bastard boats. i have to be a phony with a smile instead of mike orstein / bruce and tell them the boat is really unsafe at any speed in the atlantic but mosy buy it and never leave the dock!!!! flower pots on the tables is a sure sign.

Gotta love the flower pots...

Friend on the dock just picked up a used 25-27' Sea Ray Sundancer. He takes me and a bud out for a ride. When we get back to the dock... we know it's time for the question....."Nice boat huh, what do you think??"

Uh...uh... yeah! Not really my kind of boat boat, but nice... lots of luck with it...

Boat doesn't plane off till 3200- 3400 rpm without tabs to bring the nose down. That was with three guys, two small kids and a 1/3 tank of fuel no water.

The whole boat seems to be put together with wood screws which many seem to be stripped or the plywood they are put in is dry rotted. Bow rail is nice and shiny but loose as a goose and you can't get to the underside to tighten... I just smile and say nice...

Had he asked before he bought, well I'd have quite a bit more to say.


People want to get into bigger boats with all the ammenities, somthings got to give if they don't want to lay down the cash for quality.

[randall]

Hey Randall:
I just wanted to let you know that the pacemaker I sold was a 40 foot boat. not the electronic gizmo people have in their chest. haha. It sounded like you had that impression.
I didnt want you to think I sold the pacemaker to buy a B31, hahaha

DUH!!

[Carl]

DUH!!

LOL...newest member of the mean team.

[bob lico]

thats good randall mike has shown his influence on you!!! next year i will call you when the nasty people come from the city and you have to drive that floating apartment house (44 searay sedan bridge) to fire island for the day. tabs all the way down and 5 minutes to plane .women in heels and 5 gallons of make up ,dress to the hilt with some other fool serving food.thank god they go and break bruce`s balls in the winter.i need you!!